Alice Joseph said she couldn’t stand hearing her great-granddaughter referred to during new reports as an unidentified toddler

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Updated: 12:46 PM EDT Jun 30, 2017

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WEBVTT ST TO RUN, ANDTHEN, TO PURSUE >> OH GOD.SHE WAS A JOY.SHE WAS A JOY TO BE AROUND.SHE KEPT SMILING ALWAYS.JENNIFER: TWO-YEAR-OLD IVORYWASHINGTON, KILLED IN A CARCHASE WITH STATE POLICEWEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.SHE WAS EJECTED FROM THEOUT-OF-CONTROL CAR.HER GREAT GRANDMOTHER, ALICEJOSEPH CALLED IN TO HELPIDENTIFY HER BODY.>> WE DID GET TO SEE HER LASTNIGHT, WE DID, IM SORRY, IM SOSORRY.JENNIFER: THE CHASE STARTED WHENA STATE TROOPER RAN THE ACCORD'SLICENSE PLATE AND IT CAME BACKSTOLEN.IVORY'S MOTHER'S BOYFRIEND,IDENTIFIED AS 21-YEAR-OLDKENNETH DAVIS, WAS BEHIND THEWHEEL AND STATE POLICE SAID HELED THEM ON A CROSSTOWN HIGH, SPEED CHASE THAT STARTED ONCANAL AND RAMART, AND ENDED ONCHEF MENTEUR HIGHWAY.INVESTIGATORS SAID DAVIS SHOTAND KILLED HIMSELF AT THE SCENE,AFTER THE CRASH.>> TO PURSUE SOMEONE FOR ASTOLEN LICENSE PLATE.I MEAN, OTHER PEOPLE COULD'VEGOTTEN KILLED WITH THIS.IT WAS SENSELESS WHY?AND NOW MY BABY IS GONE BECAUSEOF THAT.REPORTER: STATE POLICE TROOPERMELISSA MATEY SAID THE TROOPERTRIED TO BOX DAVIS IN TO AVOID ACHASE FROM THE START, BUT DAVIS,WAS NOT STOPPING.>> IT'S TRAGIC THAT A CHILD WASINVOLVED.THE TROOPER WAS NOT ABLE TODETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEREWAS A CHILD IN THE BACKSEAT.HE HAD NO IDEA HOW MANYOCCUPANTS WERE IN THE VEHICLE.SO AGAIN THIS IS A TRAGIC SITUATION, ANDWE'RE ALL HURT BY IT ALSO.AND OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THEFAMILY AND TO THE MOTHER BECAUSE

Alice Joseph said she couldn’t stand hearing her great-granddaughter referred to during new reports as an unidentified toddler

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Updated: 12:46 PM EDT Jun 30, 2017

NEW ORLEANS —

The investigation into a car chase and fatal crash continued the day after two passengers were killed and the driver committed suicide. On Thursday, the family of 2-year-old Ivory Washington, who was ejected from the car and died, spoke out.

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Alice Joseph said she couldn’t stand hearing her great-granddaughter referred to during new reports as an unidentified toddler. So she met with WDSU on Thursday to let people know little Ivory’s name and that she was loved and will be terribly missed.

Louisiana State Police said the car chase started when a state trooper ran the license plate of a Honda Accord that was stopped at Canal and Rampart Streets, and discovered the plates had been stolen. Trooper Melissa Matey said two state police units attempted to block the Accord, but the driver backed up and drove around the marked units. Matey said the chase continued at a high speed on Interstate 10 and then on Chef Menteur Highway, where the Accord crashed.

State police identified the driver as 21-year-old Kenneth Davis and said he committed suicide at the scene after the crash. Joseph said Davis was the boyfriend of Ivory’s mother, and had just dropped Ivory’s mother off at work near the intersection at which troopers first attempted to stop him. She said Davis was bringing Ivory to her babysitter before he went to work, which was their normal routine, but she did not understand why he would run from police or be driving with stolen plates. And she doesn’t understand why state police engaged in the chase.

“I can understand if there was a murderer or robber or maybe kidnapped someone. But to do this over someone over a stolen license plate? I mean, other people could’ve gotten killed with this. It was senseless. Why? And now my baby is gone because of that,” Joseph said.

Trooper Melissa Matey would not discuss Louisiana State Police policy, but said the trooper involved tried to prevent a chase from the start and said tinted windows prevented the troopers from seeing the child in the back seat.

“When the trooper ran that license plate of course it came back stolen and he’s going to make a traffic stop. That’s proactive law enforcement,” Matey said. “When they attempted to box him in, they did everything they could to prevent a pursuit from even occurring. Once the driver decided to back up and go around law enforcement, evade a traffic stop, we pursued. It’s tragic that a child was involved. The trooper was not able to determine whether or not there was a child in the back seat. He had no idea how many occupants were in the vehicle. So again, this is a tragic situation, and we’re all hurt by it also. And our hearts go out to the family and to the mother because it’s absolutely heartbreaking.”

Matey said Ivory was not properly restrained in a car seat that was designed for a child of her age and size. She said Ivory was in a booster seat that was not properly belted to the car. Joseph said her great-granddaughter may have had a chance if she had been in the right car seat, and she wants parents to do what is necessary to prevent other innocent lives from being lost in any crash.

“The young folks, please, please, please, buckle these children up. Please buckle them up. I beg you, buckle them up. She would've still been alive if she would've been buckled. Please, buckle these babies,” Joseph said.

Joseph said her granddaughter, Ivory's mother, had to be hospitalized after identifying Ivory's body Wednesday and remained hospitalized Thursday.